St. Lawrence Condos, 158 Front St E: Two Towers, Ten Floors of Amenities

St. Lawrence Condos at 158 Front Street East is the building I show buyers who want something new near the St. Lawrence Market without paying King Street West prices. Two 26-storey towers, designed inside and out by architectsAlliance, sit on a dark brick base with an outdoor pool between them. It is a 2022 building, so the question is less about age and more about what you pay each month on top of the fee. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Brick at the bottom, a lattice above

architectsAlliance designed both the exterior and the interiors here, which is less common than it should be. The podium is dark brick, chosen to sit comfortably next to the old warehouses and industrial buildings of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood. Above it, the towers switch to a lighter grid of glass and precast that reads as a lattice from the street.

The two towers rise to about 91 and 88 metres on a shared base. The site was a Greyhound parcel depot and then a surface parking lot, so the building replaced a dead stretch of Front Street with shops, wider sidewalks and new street trees.

The developers are worth knowing. Fernbrook Homes is a long-running GTA builder and Cityzen Development Group is its partner here. Together they picked an architect known for restraint, and the result shows it: the building looks like it belongs on Front Street rather than having landed there.

It is not a statement tower. It is a well-mannered pair that fits a heritage street, which is what I would want if I were living here for ten years.

Amenities stacked over ten floors

The amenity plan is the most unusual thing about this building. Instead of putting everything on one level, the architects split it vertically across about ten floors, with connected spaces and double-height rooms. The library is the best example: a two-storey room rather than a shelf in a corner of the party room.

The list itself is broad. There is a gym with separate cardio and weight areas, a library and media lounge, a theatre, a party room with a chef’s kitchen, an outdoor terrace with a pool and lounge between the towers, and a rooftop terrace facing the lake. condos.ca also lists a billiards and table tennis room and concierge.

An outdoor pool in a downtown building is a real summer perk. It is also a running cost, so read the budget line for it in the status certificate.

Layouts that favour the south side

Suites run from about 406 to 1,435 square feet. At launch, the developers described mostly one-bedroom to two-bedroom-plus-den plans with engineered hardwood, stainless appliances and many south-facing terraces looking toward Lake Ontario.

Most of what is listed today is under 800 square feet, so this is largely a one-bedroom and two-bedroom building. The larger plans near 1,400 square feet are scarce. If you need three bedrooms, expect to wait.

With two towers on one podium, orientation decides a lot. A south-facing suite with an open view toward the lake is a different product from one facing the other tower. Confirm the exposure and what is across from the window before you compare prices.

Finishes from the original package, such as engineered hardwood and stainless appliances, are the baseline here. Some owners have since upgraded, and some suites are still exactly as delivered. That spread matters when you compare two listings in the same plan, so check the age and quality of the kitchen and bathroom work, not only the floor area.

Daily life at Front and Sherbourne

This corner works well for daily errands. Across the street is a 24-hour Rabba, a Toronto Public Library branch and the Young People’s Theatre in a converted industrial building. The St. Lawrence Market is a short walk west along Front Street, and the Distillery District is to the east.

Front Street East has changed fast over the last decade, with several new towers going up around this one. Expect more construction on nearby blocks, and ask about approved projects if a particular view is part of what you are paying for.

Retail at the base of the building matters more here than in most towers. A grocery store, library and theatre across the street make daily errands short. The street-level shops in the building itself are worth checking: who is there now, and whether any units are empty.

Transit, schools and walkability details are in the data panel on this page.

What 158 Front costs, and why the fee is only part of it

condos.ca puts the building average at about $894 per square foot. That is above older towers nearby, such as The Richmond on Richmond Street East at about $759, and slightly above Axiom on Adelaide at about $862. You are paying for a 2022 building, the amenity package and the Front Street address.

Fees on current listings average about $0.92 per square foot, and condos.ca lists only common elements and building insurance as included. That means heat, cooling, hydro and water are likely billed to you through suite meters. Ask for the suite’s actual utility bills and add them to the fee before comparing this building with an older tower that includes heat and cooling.

At the time of writing there were nine suites for sale and six for rent. One-bedrooms were asking about $460,000 to $560,000, and two-bedrooms in the 700 to 799 square foot range were asking about $590,000 to $729,900. The data panel shows what has actually sold.

Building specifications

Amenities at St. Lawrence Condominiums

Few buildings at this price point downtown have an outdoor pool, a theatre and a real library. Because the spaces are spread across several floors, the building feels less crowded than a 494-suite count suggests.

Jatin’s honest take on St. Lawrence Condominiums

St. Lawrence Condominiums — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.